Korean Ladies Target 2nd Straight Lpga Title
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
A strong South Korean contingent, along with other high-profile golfers, is gearing up to become the only one who has the right to make a leap into the water.
They are all vying to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where the winners have traditionally jumped into the pond by the 18th hole.
The $2 million tournament is scheduled to tee off Thursday (KST) at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
The season’s first major, which was founded in 1972, but has retained its current status since 1983, has not been kind to Korean golfers, except for Grace Park, who triumphed in 2004.
Even, Pak Se-ri, a World Golf Hall of Famer and five-time major winner, has not savored the winning moment, with her best finish being a tie for ninth.
But this time, the Korean women are entering the tournament with high hopes.
Seo Hee-kyung made headlines last week, winning the inaugural Kia Classic as a non-LPGA member.
The 11-time winner on the Korea LPGA, who will play based on her spot on the KLPGA money list last season, failed to make the cut last year after posting a 15-over 159.
But behind her maiden victory on the top professional women’s golf circuit, the 23-year-old, already seen as an LPGA-ready player, is expected to perform well for the second straight week.
“Last year, I missed the cut. So I will stay in good conditioning and try to get a good score,” Seo said.
Shin Ji-yai, last season’s rookie of the year, had a slow start to the 2010 season, tying for 22nd in Thailand, but she recaptured the form that helped her win three tournaments in her first pro year and finished in a tie for third in her past two appearances.
The former Women’s British Open winner, whose best result at Mission Hills Country Club is 15th in three appearances, is now gunning for her second-career major trophy.
Park In-bee is emerging as the dark horse.
Park, who won the U.S. Women’s Open in 2008, nearly clinched the title at the Yokohama Tire PRGR Ladies Cup in Japan LPGA, but a post-review two-shot penalty stripped her of the title.
However, the 21-year-old came in second to Seo last week after notching the best score of the competition in the final round.
Along with them, Choi Na-yeon, Kim Song-hee and KLPGA player Ryu So-yeon also have a chance of winning.
Three-time Tour winner Brittany Lincicome is set to defend her title on a course, which has been good to her, against strong competitors, such as Suzann Pettersen, Ai Miyazato and Karrie Webb.
The American golfer made a game-winning eagle on the 72nd hole last year and tied for second to Morgan Pressel in 2007.
While world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa is still struggling to find her rhythm, Michelle Wie is seen as a sleeper pick.
The 20-year-old has played in the event five times and had three top-10 finishes, including a tie for third.
Last week, Wie trailed Seo by two until the 10th on the final day, but she was penalized two strokes for grounding her club in a hazard after hitting out of the water near the 11th green.
ksw@koreatimes.co.kr